Novak Djokovic destroyed the Federer-Nadal rivalry which turned the crowd against him says Mats Wilander comparing the support for Nole and Carlos Alcaraz

Tennis legend Mats Wilander has now given his verdict on the new Carlos Alcaraz–Novak Djokovic rivalry that has given the sport a new direction. After Roger Federer retired and Rafael Nadal was struggling to keep up with his fitness after recovering from several injury issues, there was no stopping Novak from achieving his peak.

However, the arrival of the Spanish youngster has brought a new challenge for Djokovic, giving him a great challenge to fight for in this last stage of his career. Wilander spoke with the newspaper outlet, l’Equipe, about how Djokovic completely destroyed the dominance of Rafa and Roger in the sport, breaking every single record they had built.

This left the majority of the tennis fans to turn against him, which backfired on the fanatics as the Serbian went on to overcome them as the only male tennis player to win 23 Grand Slam titles. But after the Rafa-Federer Era had ended, there was a bit of danger in the Serbian’s hunger for more titles.

However, Wilander feels that Carlos will be the one to force Djokovic to keep performing at the highest level. He added, “One element that changes the outlook for Nole is that the public supports him more than when he played against Roger or Rafa. Against these two, it was lost in advance. Because he destroyed the rivalry everyone loved. The emotional context is completely different against Alcaraz. It makes Novak happier and it shows on the court. I’m sure he’s sensitive to these marks of popularity.”

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Will Novak Djokovic be able to revenge Carlos Alcaraz for his Wimbledon loss?

Novak Djokovic is in good spirits and has great confidence after beating Carlos Alcaraz in their first meeting after the Wimbledon loss. He lifted the Cincinnati Masters against all odds, where every pundit and fan expected the Spaniard to come out as the top pick for the title. 

Djokovic is currently seeded second in the upcoming US Open and he would be adamant about taking back his World No.1 position from the youngster.

Djokovic will start off his US Open campaign against Alexandre Muller on Tuesday, with all eyes on him to wrap up the year with another Grand Slam title. After not being able to defend his Wimbledon title last month, he will look to dethrone Alcaraz, who is the defending champion of the US Open. He was on top of the world after beating Alcaraz last week, which shows his determination and hunger for success, shutting up his critics.

In case you missed it:

• WATCH: Roger Federer dwells on missing Laver Cup as a player while backing the ‘Team World’ to retain their title this year in Vancouver
• WATCH: Jessica Pegula gets emotional recalling her mom’s health concerns following her Canadian Open title

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